Hi everyone, for the parents who have kids with dwarfism, in their early childhood, did their soft spot/fontanelle close late? Did they make it onto the growth chart?

She has so many questions daily and doesn’t know where or who to ask. She can ask doctors but they have a medical answer, not the experience. The doctors told her that the baby could be diagnosed, but still grow regular size for a little person? We don’t understand what they mean by that. She was also told about breathing issues, lung development. Does anyone have said breathing issues and how does it effect you?

Hello friends! I have someone in my life with achondroplasia who has a life long battle trying to find a hat that will fit—specifically a winter beanie (or touque for my Canadian friends). He has one homemade crochet hat, but I have heard his desire for a standard knit beanie hat. I thought it would be a wonderful gift to surprise him with one that actually fits for Christmas.

Is there a custom maker out there that anyone has used? Can anyone point me in the right direction for a simple standard hat in the realm of what is pictured in the photo?

Thank you! 💙

I have been given an opportunity to teach swimming to a child with dwarfism. I am looking for specifics for their body type and physical challenges. thanks

Hi,
Please delete if not allowed in your community.
For air travel, crew are required to ask how to assist and offer an individualized safety briefing. When I have had people who are little on my flights I'll offer to help with bags and how best to assist.

Aside from that, I'm not sure where the line is between offering help that is helpful and what offers would be patronizing. I wonder if an individual briefing would be helpful, or annoying?

I know everyone is different and any answer doesn't speak for the whole community. I hope this post is welcome, I don't have the life experience or personal connections to bounce this idea of anyone close to me.

I am a 28 year old male who is only 4'6'' tall, and I suspect that is because I was severely undernourished throughout my childhood. This would mean that I have some form of dwarfism, since I am under 4 feet 10 inches tall. Can anyone tell me what the exact name of my dwarfism would be, because I have never been formally diagnosed. I really wish I had had enough to eat as a child, that way I could've grown up to be a normal height, and I wouldn't be stuck having to go through life as a man who is the size of the average 4th grader...

Hello all!

So I'm curious what the take on this would be within this community (I hope i am not breaking an rules by asking this) but are there any good films that have actually depicted life with this condition?

I'm currently a film student and the topic has been very interesting to me. I recently saw the trailer of the new Snow White movie with Rachel Zegler and it reminded me of the controversies surrounding the characters of the 7 dwarves. Many were upset that they were originally depicted with a "normal" height rather than staying true to their canonically "short" stature. Then, many were furious that these roles were given to people of "normal" height rather than individuals with Achondroplasia.

Basically, the point is: it seems every depiction of these characters are either inaccurate or fantastical. Are there any depictions of life with this conditions in modern times? If not, what is lacking in these depictions that makes them inaccurate and even offensive?

Thanks!

I've got a new teenager in my home (my own teen's boyfriend) who will be staying with us for the foreseeable future. This kiddo is just under 4' and our home is not set up to be very accessible to him. Kitchen cupboards are high, etc. I've got some stools around the house that he makes use of, but I'm wondering if I can do better? And not just in terms of reaching high cupboards... I figure there might be other areas that both me (5'8") and my own teen (5'11") may be sort of blind to, that this boy may not feel comfortable bringing up (or is just so used to that he doesn't think of it, either? I get the impression the home he came from was also not super accessible).

I was poking around online and found these hooks to hang coffee mugs under the cabinet, for example. I thought those might be more convenient for him to grab than always moving the stool over when he needed one out of the high cupboard, but still, that's only coffee mugs. I don't particularly want to move all basic dishes to the countertops because we use that space for cooking, and our lower cupboards, which currently house pots and pans etc, are SO low that it doesn't seem like a great solution to just reverse everything, either.

Asking the boy in question what he needs generally just gets me answers like "nothing" or reassurance that everything here is "fine"... and maybe it is? But maybe it can also be better than fine :) So if anyone can suggest any hacks, low-cost home modifications (like, REALLY low cost, LOL), or simple adjustments I can make around here to make things easier to navigate in general for him, I'd really appreciate it!

When meeting or speaking to someone with dwarfism, would you prefer i just stand to normally and look down and speak to you in that way? or would you appreciate me kneeling down to talk eye to eye so we can both hear better ? i hope no one thinks this is insensitive at all the last thing i would ever want to do would be make someone with a disability , person who is a minority or someone with a different way of living think i was trying to be rude. but i’ve heard from many people that they would prefer to talk eye to eye, and from others they’d rather i just talk to them standing straight up. i’m only 4”10 so the difference might not be a lot i just don’t want to do the wrong thing , and want to hear from others what their preference would be ! thank you everyone!!!(the same goes to someone in a wheelchair i guess, who is at a significant height difference) i would never bend down at the waist like speaking to a child, i just want to know what everyone thinks about this

ALSOOO PLEASE let me know how you would like to be referred to. if i know you personally of course i’m going to just call you by your name, but by talking about a person with the disability of being extremity short or having an un proportionate body or limbs, is saying “little person “ offensive??? or saying “a person with dwarfism “ offensive ? i just want to know how to correctly call it without causing any offense at all. i love and value every human being equally and would never want to put down someone for any reason no matter what!

Hi,

My sister, who has achondroplasia, and is in her mid-thirties, is going in for spinal surgery and is justifiably scared.

She’s had pretty severe low-back and hip pain, as well as tingling and numbness. The neurologists she’s been seeing say they’re typically very conservative with recommending surgery, but that this is a case where she really needs it. They also say even with this surgery, she’ll likely need another one in about ten years bc of scar tissue and other changes to her anatomy.

Have any of you had this surgery? What’s been your experience, and has your quality of life improved?

I’m hoping hearing about some real life experiences will make her feel more confident in deciding to get the operation.

Thanks in advance!

Hello! 18F here and I'm 4'1 to 4'3 ft (I'm not so sure). I believe I have dwarfism but I haven't really been diagnosed with it since I really haven't visited any endocrinologist in my life. My body & face are just like an 8 year old child, except for a slightly larger chest. I also got my period when I was 12.

A short background about me, my parents are short but not as short as me. My mom is 5’3 ft and my dad is 5’5 ft. I have a long term disease (from 1 year old to 11 year old). My mom said I was born normal, but after I got the disease it surely did affected my height. I don't know anything about my disease from before and my parents can't remember the medical term and condition.

Every time I asked them that I want to get taller they said that I should be thankful for the second life that God has given me. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful, but I also want to make my life easier. There are lots of struggle a short person can get such as criticism, bullying, job opportunities, house chores, grabbing items from grocery, etc.

I just really want to know if there's a chance for me to grow. Can I still visit an endocrinologist? Can HGH injections still work? ...

Looking for suggestions. We have a step down family room that my grandfather can no longer use the stairs. It has three steps, 28” from top to bottom. We looked at stairlifts but the seat is too high 17”, he needs 12”. We are looking at ramps but the pitch may be to steep. Any suggestions would be grateful!!

I am a 4'3" proportional female. At home I drive a Honda Fit with only back and seat cushions. I want to fly to TN but don't know what to do about transportation. I would like to rent a car but don't know how to manage it in terms of being able to drive around. Is there a specific car that you rent? Do you bring your own cushions, etc. Any advise appreciated! Thanks!

I was supposed to learn at the age everyone else did at 16 but it was hard for me since I was obese as well. I lost about 100lbs and I am now ready to learn. I was hoping if you guys can give me some tips, experience driving as a little person or car suggestions. One thing I always wondered was how we can reach buttons and knobs if your arms are on the shorter side

Who’s here this weekend?

Hello, I'm an average height fella and I was just wondering about this. I always thought dwarves in DND, lotr, and other fiction are like one of the coolest races. You guys are obviously not fiction and maybe you don't like being compared to fictional characters, but I think dwarf sounds more empowering and badass than "little person." But again, that's due to the fiction I like.

I'm a 3'6" dwarf woman with skeletal dysplasia, 19 and couldn't ever be bothered to get into fashion since I've always been worried most clothes won't fit me well anyway.

But I want to start making an effort into looking fashionable so I can start feeling more confident in my body yknow?

My wardrobe is filled with a bunch of baggy tshirts, jeans and trousers.

A few crop tops as well since XS size adult crop tops do fit me. Ofc they appear a bit longer than they're meant to be bur I'm fine with that since I ain't so comfortable with showing ma skin

So I wanted to ask, how do you guys usually prefer to customise your ready made clothes so that it fits you well? Do you do it all by yourself?Or do you get them all tailored? Isn't that a bit expensive?

[I want to wear stuff like this] (https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1288726338861006900/1295388182271103017/Screenshot_2024-10-14-19-37-41-97_e6e2d9d33bc81406e42a80382150098d.jpg?ex=67185b01&is=67170981&hm=e7062f8ed48ed2d312cf48bbb72078a649291cb031c05282f26c01f4c22a4c26&) but I'm a bit afraid to buy it in fear it won't fit me. For tops, it's usually the underarms and the length of the top itself which is a problem. I got disproportionately long hands so sleeves do it for me.

For trousers, it's hanging cloth around the groin area, wast size and the length of the pants again.

Thanks for your help :>

Hi! I’m 28f, have pseudoachondroplasia,i’m 4’5”, and live in the USA.

What shoes are we all wearing lol? I usually just wear my crocs or vans. I have some converse and a pair of doc marten platform sandals that I like, but I really wanted a cute pair of Adidas and because I wear children’s shoes I couldn’t fit in them because they’re so gd narrow!!!

Finding shoes that fit is the most difficult for me. I hate that I have to wear shoes made for kids because they aren’t made to last and also sooooo narrow. So what about you guys? Sometimes I can find Steve Madden shoes that fit but they never have the kids shoes in store!!! Then I have to order online and send back if they don’t fit. Any suggestions?

M38 3.6FT

This is not intended to upset anyone, I really enjoy humor, comedy and witty funny banter.

So like the title says what's your views on short jokes. Now I'm not talking about them jokes that are to hurt people but the ones that are on the banter line. so the the core of the question is at what point does a short joke offend you. I just want to get a general idea where the community sits with it as I don't know anyone else that's like us.

For me there's no limit if its funny I'll laugh and I'll give right back. There have been times I had to raise my hands and says you got me good I've got no come back. I even go for the jokes on myself like this one time I was in a heated argument with a driver at work and he told me to grow the F@*# up. I clapped back with I've tried and this is as high I can go, man froze in his tracks. Another time my sister told me we have a short time to register for this one thing to which I replied oh so we measuring time according to my height (only time I've seen my mum to s spit-take).

So I turn it to you the community how quickly do you get offended at a short joke and how often do you make short jokes at your own expense. Lastly in your honest opinion if an offensive short joke is funny and on point, with timing and delivery, should we/i accept it as a joke and laugh or get upset and call the person out?

what does your daily calorie intake look like? on google it says for little people to maintain weight we need to eat 1000-1400 calories, but honestly, most days i eat a little over that. do we actually need to eat as much as a toddler to maintain weight? i’m semi-active, walk a decent amount and try to workout when i can (i’ve been in a bit of a lull). i understand maybe we should eat less than average height people, but as little as 1000 calories a day seems a bit weird. i also have a history of disordered eating and so this is something that i think about often. is that accurate or ??

Hi Everyone,

Long story short (pun intended), Jonah & I are friends IRL, and we decided to start and co-host a new podcast with the lens of the show through the eyes of living life with dwarfism.

In the inaugural episode, we explain how we know each other (there are a few surprise twists to this, actually) and how differently we were raised - with me being the only LP in my family and most of my day-to-day friends, and him having grown up with nothing but LPs around him with his family - which I think will bring interesting perspectives as we tackle different topics.

Have a question you'd like to see us tackle on the show? Comment below!

Link to the show & socials: https://linktr.ee/beyondlimitspod

My 20 month old daughter is in the -4 percentile for height and weight. Her development and head circumference are typical, and overall she is thriving. We adopted her at birth—her birth mom is tall, and her likely birth father is 5’6”. We’ve seen endocrinology and her blood work is normal, the endocrinologist tested for mosaic Turner’s syndrome which was ruled out. I’m not at all concerned if she is just small, but I want to know if there’s an underlying cause that could have other health effects so we’ll see genetics next month. My son has a rare genetic disorder with a distinct phenotype and when we walked in to the geneticist’s office with him, age 5, she immediately knew what it was. My girl (in my unbiased opinion) is unusually cute but otherwise looks, to my eye, entirely typical except possibly for a slightly protruding forehead. Is anyone familiar with a genetic syndrome where the only symptom, as a toddler, is short stature? Looking forward to talking to a doc but thought this community might have some insights.